Empleo y cuidado en familias españolas con situaciones de dependencia: dilemas, prácticas y costes

Despite an increasing interest in work-family balance in Spain, research has predominantly focused on couples with children without any additional difficulties. This manuscript expands existing knowledge by exploring this issue in families with dependent members due to disability, chronic conditions, or advanced age. Drawing on Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas’ Survey on Dependent Care [Encuesta de Cuidados a Dependientes] descriptive and regression analyses are performed to assess work-family balance dilemmas, the strategies used to face them, and associated costs. The findings reveal considerable difficulties to reconcile employment and care in a context of scant institutional support and notable material needs. As a result, households face situations of high economic vulnerability and their members see their satisfaction with work and life reduced.Pese al creciente interés por la conciliación de la vida laboral y familiar en España, la investigación se ha centrado fundamentalmente en parejas con menores sin dificultades añadidas. Este artículo amplía el conocimiento existente al explorar esta cuestión en familias con algún miembro dependiente por discapacidad, enfermedad crónica o edad avanzada. Partiendo de la Encuesta de Cuidados a Dependientes del Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas, se realiza un análisis descriptivo y de regresión de los dilemas encontrados, la organización concreta de las familias y los costes asociados. Los hallazgos evidencian dificultades considerables para compatibilizar el empleo y el cuidado en un contexto de escaso apoyo institucional e importantes necesidades materiales. Como consecuencia, los hogares se enfrentan a situaciones de elevada vulnerabilidad económica y sus miembros ven mermada su satisfacción laboral y vital

Ideals and norms related to fatherhood in Europe: A comparative perspective from the European Social Survey

Objective: This study explores cross-country similarities and differences in individuals' perceptions of the ideal age and pathways to become a father, focusing on five European countries: Germany, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Background: Empirical research analyzing family-related social norms and individuals' preferences is still scarce when compared to the abundant literature on family behavior, and especially so when focusing on men rather than women. This study attempts to mitigate this gap in the literature by focusing on ideals and norms related to fatherhood. Method: Using European Social Survey data from the most recent available round (2018/2019), descriptive and multivariate regression analyses are performed to examine: (a) the ideal age to become a father; and (b) approval of men's decision to never have children, to have a child outside marriage, and to keep working full-time when having small children. Results: Findings confirm signs of convergence across countries regarding the “normalization” of postponed fatherhood, as well as increased detachment from traditional attitudes. Differences between "forerunner" and "laggard" countries with regard to family-related norms and family change are visibly narrowing. However, the ideal age for fatherhood and the approval of non-traditional life course trajectories also reflect different incentives and possibilities for the establishment of new family models provided by the gender culture and the welfare regime in each country. Conclusion: Examining social norms regarding male reproductive decisions and the exercise of fatherhood from a comparative perspective is important for understanding men’s choices and the normative social framework potentially constraining them

The transition to parenthood in Spain: Adaptations to ideals

The experience of the transition to parenthood in Spain in this edited volume is strongly influenced by the economic crisis, 2008-2014. The vast majority of the couples interviewed for this study spoke about the precariousness of the labour market, job insecurity and not being able to make ends meet on just one pay-check. When the interviewed Spanish parents-to-be added all the leaves they were entitled to – 16 weeks of maternity leave, two weeks of paternity leave, two to four weeks of breastfeeding leave and holiday leave – they ended up with approximately 6 months of paid leave. After that, in most cases, both parents had to return to paid work because of economic reasons. Despite most couples expressing reluctance to send under 1-year-olds to childcare centres, the interviewed parents-to-be planned to combine different kinds of care in the second half of the first year of their child’s life. Mothers planned to take part-time parental leave while using childcare services and asking grandparents for help with the child during their paid work hours. Spanish ideals about good motherhood and fatherhood were still rather traditional. In the interviews, mothers were considered ‘by nature’ closer to the child and responsible for childcare. Yet, we also saw signs of the ‘new fatherhood’ ideal, constructed in opposition to previous generations of distanced fathers. Some men were willing to become very involved in childcare and planned to adapt their jobs. In addition, the economic crisis was mirrored in the emergence of a group of ‘crisis dads’, consisting of unemployed men who envisioned themselves as the main carer in response to not being able to be the main provider.2016-1

Social policies, separation and second birth spacing in Western Europe

The research leading to these results received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement no. 320116 for the research project FamiliesAndSocieties. We also acknowledge funds from the Academy of Finland (decision number 275030 and 293103) and the German Science Foundation (KR 2855/3–1 and TR 457/7–1).Objective: This paper studies postseparation fertility behavior. The aim is to investigate whether, and if so how, separation affects second birth spacing in Western European countries. Methods: This analysis makes use of rich survey data from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, as well as from Finnish register data. We thus cover the behavior of a large proportion of the population of Western Europe. We also use descriptive measures, such as Kaplan‒Meier survival functions and cumulative incidence curves. In the multivariate analysis, we employ event history modeling to show how education relates to postseparation fertility behavior. Results: There are large differences in postseparation fertility behavior across European countries. For Spain and Italy, we find that only a negligibly small proportion of the population have a second child after separating from the other parent of the firstborn child. The countries with the highest proportion of second children with a new partner are the United Kingdom, Germany, and Finland. In all countries, separation after first birth leads to a sharp increase in the birth interval between first and second births. Contribution: Our study is a contribution to the demographic literature that aims at understanding birth spacing patterns in Western Europe. Furthermore, we draw attention to the role of postseparation policies in explaining country differences in fertility behavior in contemporary societies.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Ideales igualitarios y planes tradicionales: análisis de parejas primerizas en España

Esta investigación analiza los planes de cuidado del primer hijo en parejas, indagando en cómo influyen los ideales de maternidad/ paternidad, las actitudes de género y las limitaciones institucionales en el proyecto de cuidado del bebé. El estudio se basa en una muestra de 68 parejas de doble ingreso que esperaban su primer hijo en el año 2011. El análisis revela que gran parte de las parejas aspira a que ambos cónyuges continúen trabajando después del parto. Sin embargo, en el caso de prever dificultades de conciliación, siguen siendo las mujeres quienes manifiestan una mayor predisposición a adaptar su vida laboral a las necesidades del menor, desarrollando en gran medida preferencias adaptativas

The issue of the revision corrected wiring residential building

Bakalářská práce se zabývá problematikou revizí elektrických instalací v obytných budovách. Úkolem práce je seznámení se s požadavky legislativních předpisů se zaměřením na české technické normy ČSN 33 2000-6, ČSN 33 1500 a navazující. Konkrétně jsou získané informace využity k provedení revize elektrické instalace zrekonstruovaného bytového domu. Cílem práce je uplatnění teoretických vědomostí a informací pro praktické provedení revize elektrické instalace.Bachelor’s thesis deals with the verification of electrical installations in residential buildings. The task of the thesis is to get acquainted with the requirements of the regulations with a focus on Czech technical standard CSN 33 2000-6, CSN 33 1500 and follow-up. Specifically, the information gathered is used to the implementation of the review installations in renovated apartment building. The aim is to apply the theoretical knowledge and information for the practical verification of the electrical installation.

Desigualdades en la división del trabajo en familias con menores durante el confinamiento por COVID-19 en España: ¿Hacia una mayor polarización socioeconómica y de género?

The confinement of the Spanish population within their households and the closure of schools and daycare centers due to the COVID-19 pandemic generated an unprecedented increase in domestic demands for families with children, as parents had to adapt to remote work or interrupt their labor market activity. Drawing on a survey carried out during the state of alarm, it is analyzed whether families where both parents maintained their jobs resorting to telework or flexibility established more co-responsible distributions of tasks than those where such circumstances where not present. Results show that such was the case, which suggests social polarization based on gender inequalities between families with and without favorable conditions for the maintenance of an egalitarian dual-earner model. The study also reveals a larger relative workload for women during the analyzed period.El confinamiento de la población española en sus hogares y el cierre de los centros escolares y de cuidado debido a la pandemia de COVID-19 generaron un aumento inédito de demandas domésticas para las familias con menores, en tanto que los progenitores tuvieron que adaptarse al teletrabajo o interrumpir su actividad laboral. Partiendo de una encuesta realizada durante el estado de alarma, se analiza si las familias en las que ambos mantuvieron su empleo recurriendo al teletrabajo y/o la flexibilidad horaria establecieron distribuciones de tareas más corresponsables que aquellas en las que no se dieron tales circunstancias. Los resultados muestran que este fue el caso, lo que sugiere una polarización social, basada en desigualdades de género, entre familias con y sin condiciones favorables al mantenimiento de un modelo igualitario de doble ingreso. El estudio también revela una mayor carga de trabajo para las mujeres durante el período analizado

Male unpaid work and female employment trajectories : a dynamic analysis

This thesis analyzes whether there is an interdependence, at the intra-couple level, between men’s housework and childcare participation and women’s employment and economic position. The first empirical paper examines to what extent men’s domestic involvement responds to variations in their own and their partner circumstances. The second paper looks into the influence of male domestic effort on the female partners’ propensity to exit the labour market or leave full-time work after marriage and childbirth. The third paper, finally, assesses whether fathers’ domestic inputs affect mothers’ earnings trajectories. The analysis draws on longitudinal data from the German Socio-economic Panel (SOEP, 1984-2009). The findings obtained indicate that men’s household involvement is responsive to shifts in their partners’ relative resources and dedication to paid work. At the same time, men’s domestic participation makes it easier for their partners to maintain an intense employment dedication, which also reduces the economic penalty experienced after motherhood.Esta tesis analiza si hay una relación de interdependencia, a nivel de la pareja, entre la participación de los hombres en tareas domésticas y de cuidado y la posición laboral y económica de las mujeres. El primer artículo empírico examina hasta qué punto la implicación de los hombres en el trabajo doméstico se modifica a raíz de variaciones en las circunstancias de éstos y de sus parejas. El segundo artículo investiga qué influencia ejerce la participación masculina en este tipo de tareas sobre la probabilidad de que las mujeres abandonen el mercado de trabajo o el empleo a tiempo completo tras el matrimonio y los nacimientos. El tercer artículo, por último, estudia si el tiempo invertido por los padres en el trabajo doméstico y de cuidado afecta a las trayectorias de ingresos de las madres. El análisis está basado en datos longitudinales del panel socioeconómico alemán (SOEP, 1984-2009). Los resultados obtenidos indican que la implicación masculina en la esfera doméstica es sensible a variaciones de los recursos relativos y la dedicación laboral de sus parejas. Al mismo tiempo, la participación de los hombres en tareas domésticas y de cuidado facilita el mantenimiento de una dedicación intensa por parte de sus parejas al empleo, lo que también contribuye a reducir las penalizaciones económicas que éstas experimentan a raíz de la maternidad

Voluntary Childlessness in Southern Europe : The Case of Spain

Many post-industrial societies have seen not only a decline in fertility rates and a postponement of first births, but also an increase in voluntary childlessness. While Spain is no exception, the issue of why some women in this country choose to forego motherhood has received little attention. Drawing on the Spanish Survey on Fertility and Values (2006), this study analyzes the weight in the decision of three groups of variables having proven crucial for fertility behaviour. Individual socioeconomic circumstances related to the costs of motherhood, the delay in economic independence and union formation, and attitudinal work and family orientations prove all important; which indicates Spain's resemblance to other Western societies. Still, the particularly manifest relevance of a delayed transition to adulthood brings the Spanish case especially close to the Italian one; raising further questions on the fine line separating chosen from accepted childlessness in Southern Europe